Chapter 117
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: The Black Market, African Civil War - 3
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About ten minutes earlier...
Lee Hyun-wook was flying above the clouds aboard the Prydwen.
Just then, he overheard a conversation.
- Hey, isn't that a crow over there?
- Are you blind, you idiot? Where would you find a crow out here on the ocean?
- No, I'm serious. Look! In the clouds...
- Ah, it's probably just a seabird. You think everything black is a crow?
It was the voices of the deckhands on the Ndau Alliance's container ship, the 'Black Factory'.
Through his Huginn—Mana Messenger hacking link, Lee Hyun-wook could hear their voices from above the clouds.
But his attention was elsewhere entirely.
'Good, I can sense them.’
His Metal Control began to probe inside the containers on the deck.
Inside were a total of 280 'Living Armors,' bound by iron chains. They weren't meant to restrain the giant armored figures, but rather to secure them and prevent them from colliding when the ship was rocked by waves.
‘Meaning, I can break them easily.’
Meanwhile, the moment he 'sensed' the Living Armors, a system message appeared before his eyes.
- You can secure 'Master Authority' over the corresponding Living Armors.
'Sorry, but this gift for the Puppeteer… I'm taking it all.’
- 'Master Authority' over the Living Armors has been secured. (23/23)
A total of 23 Living Armors came under Lee Hyun-wook's control.
This number was possible because he had recently used the 'Trait Blossom' he received as the first-place reward from the Jeju Island raid, which had raised the grade of his 'Signal Core' from D to C.
[Skill Information]
- Name: Signal Core
- Grade: C
- Effect
1) Transcendent Sense: Increases Metal Control. (+40%)
2) Centurion Force: Increases maximum number of subordinates. (+20)
* Skill grade will improve upon meeting hidden conditions.
‘The maximum number of subordinates increased by 10, so I can now control 23 Living Armors.’
Additionally, the Metal Control bonus from 'Transcendent Sense' had increased from 30% to 40%.
Soon, the Living Armors began to activate—the magic circuits etched onto their bodies started to glow, and a faint blue light seeped through the cracks of the containers, barely visible even from above the clouds.
- Huh? I think there's some kind of light coming from over there.
- ...Huh, what's this? Hey! Get this container open!
There was no way the deckhands wouldn't notice.
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook opened the Prydwen's ramp door.
Whoooosh—!
As the cold wind rushed into the airship, Sophie and her group looked at Lee Hyun-wook in surprise.
"Uh... Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, what are you doing?”
"I'll go down first.”
Their eyes widened at his absurd words.
"Wait a minute, is this part of the plan to retake the ship?”
Lee Hyun-wook gave a single nod, then actually threw himself out of the airship.
"Uh... did he just jump without a parachute or anything?”
Even for a Player, a fall from this height would be instantly fatal.
They clung to the window and peered down below.
Lee Hyun-wook's figure soon disappeared beneath the clouds.
Sophie, being a marksman-class Player, tracked his descent by sensing his heat signature.
But his falling speed wasn't as fast as she expected.
'...Wait, he's flying?’
He was freely controlling his descent, flying toward the ship, the Black Factory.
Then, as the clouds drifted apart, his figure was briefly revealed...
"He, he's gone?”
His form had vanished in an instant without a trace.
"First flying, and now he can use stealth too?”
The range of abilities possessed by the single Player, Lee Hyun-wook, was absurdly vast.
‘It's like he has the capabilities of an entire raid team all by himself.’
Had she ever seen... no, even heard of a Player like that before?
There were many Players who reached the pinnacle of a single class and demonstrated overwhelming prowess.
But none possessed the versatility to handle everything on their own.
‘Of course, chaebol Players buy all sorts of items to use a variety of skills, but...'
Lee Hyun-wook's case was on a completely different level.
No amount of money could grant someone such a wide array of skills.
‘In short, he's in a different dimension...’
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook had landed softly on the bridge of the Black Factory.
The crew's attention was fixed on the light leaking from the containers on deck.
They would never have expected someone to descend from the sky in the middle of the vast ocean.
Lee Hyun-wook infiltrated the bridge.
“...Open that container with the light coming out of it and see what's going on!”
Inside were five men. The one who looked like the captain was holding a microphone, giving orders to the deck.
‘And around here... there are a total of eight people.’
Having already infiltrated the ship with plenty of 'Flying Eyes' a few minutes prior, he had pinpointed the locations of all enemies, both on deck and inside the ship.
The zipper on Lee Hyun-wook's backpack slowly opened, and something flew out from within.
It was a total of 20 Adamant Stars.
At a gesture from Lee Hyun-wook, they scattered in all directions, penetrating various parts of the bridge. Then, like guided missiles, they slit the throats of the eight Players he had sensed.
In that fleeting moment—caught by the surprise attack—the crew members collapsed without a sound.
“Hk—!”
The sole survivor, the captain, drew his pistol, but Lee Hyun-wook's hand was faster.
Crunch—
He grabbed the captain's wrist with his left hand and seized the back of his neck with his right.
He even demonstrated the finesse to use his Metal Control to lock the pistol's hammer in place.
“Ghk—kuh—”
"Shh, don't open your mouth.”
"Kuh... who... who are you?”
"If you want to live to hear the answer, don't you think it's wise to keep your mouth shut?”
Ten Adamant Stars were now rotating behind Lee Hyun-wook.
They spun faster and faster, trembling as if ready to shoot forward at any moment.
"You will now make a ship-wide announcement, exactly as I say.”
"......."
"But if you try any bravado and say something foolish, you'll be dead before you get half a word out.”
The captain swallowed dryly and nodded.
Lee Hyun-wook kept his grip on the man's neck and forced him to look out the window.
"Order all crew members to assemble on the deck immediately.”
“...What? All of them? What are you planning?”
Woong—!
At that moment, two Adamant Stars shot forward, stopping precariously close to the captain's face.
“Gasp!”
Any closer and both of his ears would have been sliced off.
Whirrr—whirrr—whirrr—whirrr——
The sharp whirring sound ringing in his ears... the captain felt like his legs were about to give out.
“...A-alright! I'll do it!”
He hurriedly grabbed the microphone and began to broadcast in a trembling voice.
- Ah, th-this is the captain... All crew, immediately to the upper deck... a-assemble.
Soon, crew members began to emerge from all over the ship.
There were 31 in total, all wearing bewildered expressions, wondering what was going on.
“...A-aside from essential personnel like those in the engine room, they're all gathered in one place.”
At the captain's explanation, Lee Hyun-wook began the 'suppression operation' in earnest.
Clank— Clank—
With the sound of clashing metal, 23 Living Armors walked out of the containers....
"Huh?”
The crew members stared blankly at the sight.
"How are those things moving right now?”
"And 23 of them at once? Isn't that impossible without a Puppeteer?”
At that moment, something fell onto the deck with a series of loud thuds.
"Ah, shit! That scared me!”
Two of them. They were some kind of metal boxes.
“...Where did those come from?”
"Hey! One of you tankers, go check it out!”
At the deck chief's command, a large tanker approached the metal boxes.
"Uh, there are some kind of throwing stars inside!”
"What, throwing stars? Hey! Who's the one who uses throwing stars! Get rid of that—”
Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh——!
A total of 70 Adamant Stars erupted from within, sweeping through the gathered crew members.
"Guaaaah——”
They swept low across the deck, an attack aimed at their legs, causing a dozen men to collapse at once.
Clank! Clank!
Next, the 23 Living Armors advanced, beginning to strike down and kill the crew members.
"Uwaaah—!”
"Wh-what is this all of a sud— Gak!”
It was a clean infiltration and a perfect suppression, without a single mistake.
***
Clank— Clank—
The 23 Living Armors were walking back into the containers on their own.
The only difference from before was that their armor was now splattered with blood.
"......Don't tell me you have puppetry skills too?”
Watching the scene from the bridge, Sophie stared at Lee Hyun-wook with a look of disbelief.
"Well, it's similar, but not quite. Why do you ask?”
“...It's just, I suddenly feel like the world is incredibly unfair.”
Just then, David, who had been searching the ship, came over with something. It was a metal box.
"Sophie, can you take a look at this?”
"This thing is really suspicious. It was in the safe in the captain's quarters, but the lock is so tough...."
Clang!
Lee Hyun-wook ripped the box's lock off with Metal Deformation.
“...it was locked, but now it's gone?”
Inside was a bracelet.
[Item Information]
- Name: Bracelet of the Nameless King (Heroic)
- Effect: Greatly increases the maximum number of subordinates. (+20)
"Gasp— Th-this is a Heroic-grade item?”
The moment she confirmed the information, Sophie couldn't hide her surprise.
It was true that even Heroic-grade items were something most regular Players would never even get to see.
They looked at the item from all angles, as if they'd hit the jackpot.
"Oh... this has a 'subordinate' option on it, right? Sophie, isn't that a pretty rare option?”
"That's right. Looks like those Ndau Alliance bastards spent a pretty penny on a bribe for the Puppeteer.”
It was an unexpected find for Lee Hyun-wook as well. And a coveted one at that.
"Sophie, I believe I said that in exchange for taking this ship, I'd take what was on it, right?”
"Ah, you did say that... but surely... you don't mean you're going to take this?”
Worry slowly spread across Sophie's face.
In contrast, Lee Hyun-wook smiled brightly and nodded.
"Isn't this a fair trade? I took the ship for you cleanly, without any casualties.”
"And if I use this, I'll be of much greater help to our side in the upcoming battles. The simple, brute-force breakthroughs the Puppeteer you mentioned displayed with the Living Armors—I'll be able to do that too.”
Sophie reluctantly nodded. She had no choice but to accept Lee Hyun-wook's argument.
And in reality, Lee Hyun-wook had essentially captured this ship all by himself, so she had no right to object.
“Hah... David, we never found an item like this. Got it?”
It seemed that if word got out to her superiors that she had handed over such an expensive Heroic-grade item to Lee Hyun-wook, it would cause a headache. So, Sophie decided to use her discretion to erase its existence entirely.
With this, Lee Hyun-wook could now control a total of 53 Living Armors.
‘When I get back to Korea, I'll have to ask Kang Jeong-du to modify the Living Armors.’
It seemed the time had come to properly utilize 'subordinates' like the Living Armors.
‘And for the <Magimech Corps> that will one day be born, I need to start studying tactics.’
Meanwhile, the HPA members who had arrived by rubber boat were just now climbing onto the deck.
They couldn't hide their bewilderment, wondering how this bloodless entry was even possible.
“...What in the world happened here?”
"Didn't the Living Armors just revolt a moment ago?”
A short while later, a man who identified himself as the HPA team leader entered the bridge and questioned Sophie about the incident.
She merely replied that they had gained a good ally, without mentioning Lee Hyun-wook's name.
"You there, may I ask who you are?”
The middle-aged team leader, Alberto, soon approached Lee Hyun-wook and asked.
Seeing him still wearing a mask even inside the ship must have been quite unnerving.
"Just a mercenary working for money.”
Alberto's face crumpled at Lee Hyun-wook's dismissive reply.
However, he didn't dare say anything harsh.
The scene that had unfolded on the deck just moments before came to mind.
“...Yes, well, have a pleasant journey.”
That night, Sophie contacted the resistance forces in the CAR to coordinate their rendezvous plan.
"Alright... we've set the rendezvous point with the resistance at the border region between the CAR and Sudan.”
The problem now was how to get through the ship's port of arrival, 'Djibouti' in Africa.
A large number of Ndau Alliance officials would be there, preparing for the transport of the puppet weapons.
"But if not there, there aren't many other places a container ship like this can dock.”
"We'll have to scuttle this ship off the African coast and make our own way ashore.”
That was the opinion of the team leader, Alberto.
After all, their mission was to prevent the puppet weapons from reaching the Puppeteer.
But Lee Hyun-wook spoke up in opposition.
"That would be too much of a waste. If we have those, they'll be a great help in future battles.”
"Look, one wrong move and we'll end up delivering them right to the Puppeteer.”
"Yes, you're right. However... I have a good idea.”
A moment later, Lee Hyun-wook brought the ship's captain.
"This man will help us.”
A metal 'restraint' created by Lee Hyun-wook was fastened around his neck, and a 'Flying Eye' placed in his pocket allowed for eavesdropping.
In other words, he would not be allowed to try anything funny.
“...Yes, that's right! If you just let me live, I'll help you avoid the inspection!”
The captain had agreed to help transport the puppet weapons on this ship all the way to the CAR.
He then explained the planned transportation process for the puppet weapons in detail.
"When this ship arrives at the port of Djibouti in East Africa, the cargo is scheduled to be loaded onto 12 waiting trucks and taken to the Ndau Alliance's military base in the CAR. I can deceive the person in charge of transport at that time.”
“...Most of this ship's crew is dead. They're bound to notice, aren't they?"
“Their side doesn't know who the crew members are, aside from a few managers like me, so they won't notice.”
If that worked, they could seize all the Living Armors on the ship.
"......In exchange, will you help me get off the African continent safely?"
He was likely afraid of retaliation from the Ndau Alliance.
At this, Sophie placed a hand on the captain's shoulder.
"Don't worry about that. We at the HPA keep our promises.”
And so, Lee Hyun-wook planned to take every single one of the 280 Living Armors he'd acquired here.
***
It would take approximately eight days to reach the port of Djibouti.
During that time, Lee Hyun-wook decided to consume the adamant he had prepared in advance, as if it were a packed lunch.
‘The time is coming when I will surpass the Metal Control I had in my past life.’
- Current Controllable Metal Weight: 3,491kg
* Transcendent Sense (+40%) is active.
* Iron Physique (+20%) is active.
* World Boss Monster Slayer (+5%) is active.
* You are in an area where Savior of Seoul (+100%) does not apply.
Even without being in Seoul, it reached about 3.5 tons.
'The maximum I achieved in my past life was 4,145kg.’
It seemed likely he would surpass that weight within eight days.
‘It's doable if I run the Internal Furnace at maximum capacity. It'll be tough, though.......'
For the next eight days, Lee Hyun-wook holed himself up in his room and focused on absorbing metal.
Then, seven days later, as they entered the Gulf of Aden....
- Current Controllable Metal Weight: 4,146kg
“Hah... I did it."
This was the moment he surpassed everything from his past life.
But at that instant.
- Congratulations! You have completed a special achievement.
“...What?”
Lee Hyun-wook's face contorted at the achievement message that appeared at such an incomprehensible time.
[Achievement List]
5) One Who Surpassed Their Past Life
- Condition: Surpass the 'core stat' you possessed in your past life.
- Effect: Core Stat—Metal Control increased (+20%)
"......."
Staring at the message, Lee Hyun-wook felt his heart sink.
The name of the achievement was <One Who Surpassed Their Past Life>. How was he supposed to interpret this?
‘What is this... If this is the case, the reason I returned to the past is...’
It meant that this was all caused by the System.
‘...To be honest, it's not like I didn't suspect it.’
The most rational suspicion about how a miracle like regression could have happened was... that the 'System,' which was ruining this world in such an absurd way, was involved.
But that wasn't all.
- (!) A Main Quest has arrived.
‘Wait, a Main Quest... What is this?’
Lee Hyun-wook had never heard of such a thing.
‘...This is also related to my regression.’
Lee Hyun-wook took a slow breath and opened the message.
[Main Quest]
- A Second Chance at Life, a Duty, a Destiny....
Congratulations! You are excellently carrying out the opportunity of a second life.
Thus, you have been granted a destiny that can lead to the 'ending'.
Witness the core elements of this world and take one step closer to the truth!
1) Track down the 'Black Gate' that has opened somewhere in this world.
2) Eliminate the 'Dimensional Traveler' who will arrive from your past life—the first world.
3) Encounter '■■■', who knows the truth of this world.
* Rewards
Clearing 1): Mythic Grade Item Exchange Ticket
Clearing 2): Mythic Grade Item Exchange Ticket and other differential rewards
Clearing 3): A hint regarding the identity of this 'game'.
‘The identity of the game...’
The reason Lee Hyun-wook had returned to the past from death....
Sensing that his inevitable destiny was slowly being revealed, Lee Hyun-wook thought with composure.
'......It's finally here.’